


The Missing Moments

by ItsBioChemistry



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 11:07:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8443492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsBioChemistry/pseuds/ItsBioChemistry
Summary: This will be a series of chapters showing moments of Fitz and Simmons relationship that the audience did not get to see.They may not happen quite in chronological order but rather as the ideas come to me.*edit*I've had a little shuffle with the chapters and put them in order based on the time the took place. The newest chapter I have written at present has now become (confusingly) the first chapter, "Fitz's Secret")If anybody has any ideas for any missing moments they would like to see written please let me know.





	1. Fitz's Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz has a secret about the day he and Jemma received their exam results that he will take to the grave.
> 
> I couldn't resist doing something from the academy days and this was just far too much fun to write.

“I can’t believe it Fitz!” Jemma was clutching the piece of paper tight in her hands, “Your marks are incredible. You got nearly a hundred percent in engineering and over ninety-six percent in everything else. These must be some of the best results ever seen in academy history.”

Fitz sat on chemistry lab stool, his stomach churning his head faint and buried in his hands. He slowly parted his fingers and chanced a glance up at his best friend who was sat up on the workbench in front of him.

“Really?” he asked quietly, concerned he would lose his lunch if he opened his mouth too wide.

“Really!” she said, “Fitz this is incredible, you could do anything with these grades, you’ll have pick of whatever SHIELD facility you want.” 

Fitz looked up at her alarmed, “We already talked about this didn’t we? We’ll go together. Everybody knows we work best together!” Fitz’s heart rate increased, surely Jemma wasn’t thinking of ending their partnership now, they still hadn’t perfected the night-night gun, not she wanted to call it that. No doubt there were still so many things for them to discover together. It simply wouldn’t do for them to start working about now.

“Relax,” she said soothingly, “As long as I’ve made the grade we’re in this together. I don’t even want to imagine a lab without you, you’re part of the furniture now.” Jemma grabbed her own results envelope off the desk and went to rip it open but paused, a frightened look appearing on her face. She jumped down off the desk and thrust the envelope at Fitz, “You do it,” she demanded, “I can’t bare it.”

Fitz snatched it from her and tore it open immediately, now desperate to find out if he got to keep his best friend about. One glance at the paper told him everything he needed to know, “Oh bloody hell,” he said slamming the sheet of paper onto the table.

“What is it? How badly did I do?” she squeaked.

Fitz laughed, “I go and get some of the best results in SHIELD history and you still have to go and out do me. I knew I should have stayed up and revised with you that night!”

Jemma blinked at him uselessly, “Out do you?”

“Yes,” Fitz said, thrusting her results sheet at her, "you got a hundred percent in chemistry and biology. Your weakest subject was engineering and you still got just over ninety-seven percent in that!”

Jemma was stood transfixed to the spot. Knowing his best friend like the back of his hand, Fitz counted down slowly in his head, five, four, three, two, one…..Jemma erupted like a firework, letting out a noise half way between a scream and a high pitched giggle. She launched her arms around Fitz’s neck nearly throwing him off the stool he was perched on, kissing him on he cheek. Her mood was infectious and he reciprocated the hug, laughing excitedly. When Jemma finally released him she took a step back and looked him in the eye.

“Sci-ops!” they said together.

 

Later that evening Fitz hopped out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel. He checked his thick curls in the mirror, attempting to tame them a little but rapidly giving up, deciding he would have to a get a haircut soon. Delving through his wardrobe he pulled out one of his favourite shirts. It sported a bright checked pattern, a bold mix of pink, orange and blue, perfect for a celebration. He then grabbed out a pair of dark blue jeans and blue tie with white spots. He had just finished putting his clothes on when Jemma had come bursting through the door. Fitz marvelled on how it was nothing short of a miracle that neither of them had walked in on each other naked after years of barging into each other’s room.

Jemma was looking pretty in a knee length grey dress, a light green tailored jacket over the top. Fitz had known Jemma for several years and had never seen her legs other than the times they’d go swimming, something she was far more likely to do than him, he was more likely to slowly drown than swim lengths the way she did. True to form Jemma had covered her legs this evening with dark tights but a small pair of heels helped show off their thinness. Fitz didn’t look at her for too long, generally speaking he always did his best to ignore Simmons’s gender. 

“Lose the tie,” she said bluntly.

“Hello to you to!” he replied sarcastically, “And what do you mean lose the tie.”

“Really Fitz, polka-dots and checks? I know you’re a little fashion dumb but you aren’t blind.”

“Ughh fine,” he groaned whipping the tie off from round his neck, “Happy now.”

“Hey when in a few years time you look back at pictures of tonight you’ll be grateful that you don’t look like a prat,” she said defensively.

Fitz grabbed a pair of dirty socks off his floor and launched them across the room at her. Thankfully for Jemma, sport was not Fitz’s strong suit and the socks went drastically wide of her. Predictably, Jemma simply rolled her eyes at him in a way only she could. Fitz chuckled a her.

“Come on,” he said grabbing his phone and keys, “We don’t want to miss the party.”

“One second,” she said quickly rooting around in her purse. Curiously, he watched her for a moment. She pulled out a small metal hipflask.

“Dr Simmons, I am shocked and appalled,” he said in mock outrage.

“Oh shut up and grab two glasses. I just wanted to have a moment just the two of us before we head to the boiler room.”

Fitz did as he was asked and grabbed two shot glasses out of his cupboard and placed them on his cramped desk. Jemma opened the hip flask and filled each glass with a brown liquid.

“Whiskey?” Fitz questioned. With a nod Jemma raised one of the glasses to face height and indicated that he should do the same. 

“A toast to you Leopald Fitz, Thank you for taking me for ice cream every time I got overwhelmed with studying.”

He understood the sentiment behind her toast, “And to Jemma Simmons, for making me buckle down and study instead going off on mad and unhelpful tangents.”

“To us,” Jemma added.

“To us.” With that they clinked the shot glasses together and then necked the strong whiskey. Fitz shivered, enjoying the burning sensation in his throat. Jemma stuck out her tongue and made a disgusted noise making Fitz laugh.

“You’re going to regret that later, you know you don’t handle your drink well,” he said nudging her.

Jemma shrugged, “This might be the last time for a while that we have a chance to let our hair down. The hangover tomorrow will be worth it.”

Famous last words, Fitz thought with an internal laugh.

When they entered the boiler room the crowd erupted with rapturous applause. Clearly news of their success had spread. Fitz enjoyed the attention, pausing to take a bow on his way down the stairs causing Jemma to giggle. The party was already in full swing, music blasting through the speakers that Fitz had modified a few years previously to increase the sound quality. Bright, colourful lights lit the room in a disorientating kind of way, Fitz found himself slightly dizzy but put some of the blame on the shot of whiskey he’d had.

They pushed their way through the crowd, stopping to be congratulated and to congratulate several times over but finally reached the bar. The student on bar duty greeted them warmly,

“What can I get the star graduates?” he shouted over the crowd.

“Couple of beers will do, thanks, Michael,” Jemma called back.

They sat and enjoyed most of their evening at the bar. A few friends came over to catch up with them and suddenly several shots had been consumed. Fitz was really starting to feel the effects now and a glance at Jemma’s rosy cheeks told him she was in the same boat. Fitz swore internally when he saw a familiar cabbage shaped head making it’s way towards them through the crowd. Fitz could not stand Jemma’s ex Milton. He could not stand his stupid voice or his stupid shaped head but more so he could not stand the way he spent month following Jemma around, drooling at her and nodding along to every word she said. Jemma had never needed a yes man , she needed a man to challenge her intellect but as one of the cleverest people he knew, he could not think of any man that would be able to do that for Jemma. He did hope she would someday find someone clever enough for her.

“Milton!” Jemma cooed enthusiastically. Definitely drunk, Fitz thought.  
Milton offered an awkward congratulations to them both, giving Jemma a loose hug and Fitz and handshake that was a little too firm.

“So have you both decided what you’ll do next?” Milton asked nonchalantly.

“We’re going to go to sci-ops at the Hub,” Jemma explained excitedly.

“We?” Milton questioned. Fitz got an odd satisfaction watching his thick brow furrow.

Jemma nodded grinning, “Yeah, me and Fitz. We work so well together, no point splitting up now.”

“No, obviously not, anyway got to go, I can see Hudson waving for me.” With that Milton vanished back into the crowd. Fitz was relieved.

“Drink?” he asked Jemma.

“Please!” she said, “Playing nice with Milton has made me thirsty.”

Fitz ordered two cocktails he’d never tried off the menu. One came out in a tall glass filled with yellow liquid, Jemma snatched this up and took a long drink, “mmm rummy,” she said. The second cocktail was bright blue and came in a shallow martini type glass. Fitz picked up the drink and span on the barstool so he facing the dancefloor. Jemma downed the rest of her cocktail and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. Fitz laughed at the drunk expression on her face.

“Let me try some of yours,” she demanded. Fitz obliged her and raised his glass up so she could drink over his shoulder. He was vaguely aware of a camera flash from somewhere in front of him but thought little of it, focusing his attention on not letting Jemma fall over. This required a fair amount of his attention since he was feeling very wobbly himself.

The DJ announced the final song of the evening. Instantly recognising the opening beat of “Hey Ya” by Outkast Jemma was on her feet and dragging Fitz to the dancefloor. Most of the room was far too drunk to dance at this point so they joined in with the crowd of people generally jumping and swaying in uncoordinated fashion. Usually Fitz wouldn’t dream of dancing but the events of the day had left him feeling euphoric. 

When the last notes had played they said their goodbyes to few friends and made their way out into the fresh air. They linked arms with each other helping each other balance as they made their way back to accommodation, both giggling about nothing in particular.

“I’m hungry,” Jemma complained.

“I’ve got some pringles and some flapjack and some milkshake in my room.” Fitz slurred back.

“Way to rub it in,” Jemma whined, pushing him. 

Fitz giggled, nearly falling over, “No dumbass, you can have some if you want.”

“Ohhh,” Jemma said joining in the giggling, “That makes way more sense.”

With that they stumbled into his room together. Jemma kicked off her heels and pulled off her jacket as soon as they were over the threshold, Fitz followed her lead and kicked off his shoes. He opened a cupboard door revealing a grand stash of snacks.

“This is why you’re my favourite person,” Jemma said pulling out a tube of crisps and a box of jaffa cakes.

Fitz pulled out two sports drink and handed one to Jemma, even in his very inebriated state, Fitz knew hydration would help them in the morning. For about ten minutes they sat on his floor eating and drinking. Fitz dropped a Jaffa Cake onto the carpet and accidentally crushed it with his knee which caused much hilarity.

After a little while Jemma finally made a grand announcement, “I am going to bed,” she declared loudly, attempting to stand up.

“Good idea,” Fitz said, also standing up, he got to his feet before her. So offered her a hand up the rest of the way. Jemma accepted his hand but this was not enough to keep her balanced and she fell into him. She looked up at him curiously.

“You’re a real gentleman Fitz, you’re going to make some woman very happy one day.”

Fitz did not know which of them started it, it might have been him, or her and perhaps both of them at the same time. Suddenly they were kissing, not a little peck on the cheek like she had done some many time before but properly kissing. He wrapped his arms around her and she began to run her fingers through the curls of his hair. The kiss deepened and her hands found the buttons on his shirt, undoing them one by one. As much as Fitz has not planned this he also seemed to be powerless to stop it. He had never allowed himself to think of Jemma as anything more than a friend and yet hear they were, in his bedroom, entangled with each other, Fitz becoming incredibly aroused by her.

In one movement she had pulled him down onto his bed with her. Laying on top of her he continued kissing her furiously but now moving away from her mouth, trailing kisses down her neck. But suddenly Fitz became aware that Jemma was no longer gripping onto hism, in fact her arms appeared quite limp. He glanced back up to her face and saw that her eyes were shut and she was breathing heavily.

Fitz clambered off the bed using every last bit of willpower he had and put quilt up over Jemma. Walking across the room he switched off the light and resigned himself to a night on the sofa. Before falling asleep he wondered vaguely if he or Jemma would remember what had just happened between them in the morning.

Fitz woke first the next day, his head still spinning and his mouth fluffy with dehydration. For a moment he wondered why he was on the sofa and not in bed but the sound of Jemma snoring was enough to remind him of the night’s events. After years of ignoring the fact she was indeed a woman Fitz was no very unsure how he would be able to forget about how much he enjoyed kissing her, how attracted he was to her in the moment. Very suddenly Jemma sat bolt upright and projectile vomited across his bed. Fitz let out a very deep sigh and smiled to himself concluding that the image of Simmons hurling was definitely help him not want to kiss her again.

“Oh my god,” Jemma groaned, her voice hoarse. Her eyes locked on Fitz and widened, “I’m in your bed,” she said alarmed, “Why am I in your bed? I don’t even remember leaving the boiler room. Oh god I’ve just been sick in your bed!”

“Relax,” Fitz said, feeling too hungover to move, “You came back her for a snack and feel asleep. You were too drunk to wake up so I left you there. As for the sick, I’ve got a spare duvet, we’ll just chuck that one down the trash chute.” Fitz was very grateful that Jemma did not remember the previous night’s events and vowed never to speak or even think of it again himself. He convinced himself Jemma would always be his friend and that’s all he would ever want from her.


	2. A FZZT to the Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've just realised I'm worse than Coulson and I should have been calling Daisy Skye through this chapter. I'll fix it but if any stray Daisys sneak in I am sorry!  
> I rewatched FZZT for about the 100th time and it inspired me to write a little piece about what happened after Fitz and Simmons chat at the end of the episode.  
> This isn't a long one but more of a short head canon where Fitz thinks about the days events and reaches some long overdue conclusions.

“We’ve got a visual on them. I’m releasing the rescue ladder,” May announced over the planes loudspeakers. 

Fitz sat next to Skye up in the bus’s kitchenette, clenching his fists so tight he could feel his short nails starting to dig into the palms of his hand. It was a start that they had found them but there was still no telling if Jemma and Ward had survived their fall into the ocean. In many ways Fitz wished it was him that had taken the leap out of the hanger after Jemma, some of those ways were currently too confusing to question now but the main reason was at least he would have a definitive answer as to the conclusion of this thing. Skye was tapping her nails on the counter in front of them, the noise punctured the tense silence that was currently filling the room.

After what felt like an age May finally spoke again, “Cargo on board, safe and sound.”

“YES!” Fitz shouted jumping to his feet, Skye had followed suit and before he knew it they were hugging and jumping in celebration but Fitz could only handle this for a second, his knees becoming week causing him to drop to the floor. He pressed his face into the musty carpet giving silent thanks to any deity that might be listening.

“Get off the floor, come and see them!” Skye ordered through laughter.

“You go ahead,” Fitz squeaked weakly, “I need a minute.” Skye didn’t need telling twice and disappeared. Fitz fell backwards onto his buttocks, his legs stretched out in front of him. Really he felt like he needed more than a minute. It might take him several days to decide the right way to greet Jemma after her near death experience. Would a professional handshake and a pat on the back be right? Perhaps a friendly hug? Maybe no physical contact at all? Or maybe more? Fitz banished that last thought from himself and prevented his mind from wondering too much putting it down to the stress of the day. 

Finally he dragged himself up onto his feet, concluding he would just let Jemma take the lead on this one. He didn’t want to give her the wrong idea by hiding from her. But when Fitz arrived in the lounge area on the lower deck it was just Skye and May there.

“Where’s…..? he started.

“Getting a dressing down from Coulson for being reckless at the moment,” Skye explained grinning.

May threw him a stern look, “You’re lucky not to be getting one yourself after entering a quarantine area. Seems like Coulson has forgotten about that.”

Fitz felt himself start to perspire a little, “Sorry.”

May took a few steps towards him closing the gap between them and put a firm hand on Fitz shoulder, “Don’t be,” she said simply before walking back to the cockpit.

Fitz shook his head in disbelief, “Seems like protocol has well and truly eluded us today.” With that he turned and made his way to his bunk to have a little bit of down time. He was not left with his own thoughts for long as a gentle knock disturbed him.

Jemma didn’t wait to be invited but slowly opened the door, “Anybody home?” she said poking her head round, a nervous smile on her face. In truth it was actually odd that she had knocked, the had been barging into each other’s bunks since their academy days, there were few boundaries in their friendship, boundaries would have prevented late night epiphanies about their latest experiment being brainstormed. A relationship of the mind like theirs had never needed closed doors getting in the way. Jemma was obviously as nervous as he was about their reunion.

“Hi,” Fitz said pathetically, not knowing what else to say. Jemma quietly held up an ice pack as if offering a humble gift to him.

“How’s your head?” she said reddening slightly.

Fitz took a moment to register what she had asked him and then a dull throb served as a painful prompt.

“A little sore but I’ll live,” he said shrugging but still he accepted the ice pack and placed it on the lump had been slowly expanding on the base of his skull knowing full well Jemma would not allow anything less.

“Sorry,” she said sitting next to him on his bed.

“It’s fine,” Fitz said smiling at her, “You were just trying to protect me and the team, I mean it was stupid but I understand why you did it.”

“Eughh, Fitz-“

“I’m glad you’re alive,” he interrupted before she could chastise him further. Jemma pursed her lips together and nodded. It was a move he recognised, she was trying to hold back tears.

Eventually she managed to speak, “Lucky Ward caught me really. This could have turned up much worse.”

Fitz felt an odd bubble of anger rise in his stomach as he pictured Ward grabbing hold of Jemma in the air, wrapping his muscular arms around her body, pulling her close to him.

“I was going to do it,” he blurted.

“I know you were,“ she reassured him quickly.

“I had he anti-serum, the shoot, everything, I just couldn’t get the straps on…”

“Fitz please…..”

“And you know maybe I couldn’t have done the whole, James Bond in midair….”  
“Fitz! Shut up,” Jemma said wringing her hands together in exasperation. Fitz wanted to tell her, he needed her to know how far he was willing to go to save her but her frustration silenced him. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her so he settled on staring at a mark on the wall in front of him.

“Ward did an amazing thing, yes, but it wasn’t Ward by my side in that lab searching for a cure. It wasn’t Ward giving me hope when I had none, it was you,” she gave his arm a gentle nudge with her elbow forcing him to look up, “You’re the hero.”

The words brought a smile to Fitz’s face, nobody had ever called him a hero before and Jemma really looked like she meant it, “Yeah,” he said gently, accepting her analysis.

“Yeah,” she agreed gentling tapping his leg with one finger, “Thank you.”

Then Jemma did something she had not done for years, not since they had received their prestigious grades at the end of their exams. Jemma lent forward and in one swift movement she kissed him on the cheek. Fitz felt her lips make contact and he felt warmth spread through him, his heart skipped a beat and his stomach swooped over like he was on a roller coaster. He said nothing, afraid of what he might say. Thankfully Jemma decided that what needed to be said had been said and rose to her feet and left the room without another word. 

A small smile played on Fitz’s lips but the smile faded and he scratched his ear and then clutched tightly to the pillow he had on his lap. His hand crept up to his face to the spot where Jemma’s lips had touched him, a very slight dampness lingered there. Fitz smacked the button next to his bed bringing the blinds down around the glass walls of his bunk before grabbing a box out from under his bed. The box contained a few keepsakes from his time at SHIELD. He rifled through the certificates and awards and then finally settled on a small photo album, he hadn’t looked at it for a while, although Jemma was still occasionally popping copies of photos in it for him, the latest being from their very first field mission. A very unglamorous selfie she had snapped of the two of them that was very revealing about how little time they spent outside in the sun. Flicking through the album reminded him clearly of the words he had almost shouted at his lab partner earlier that day.

“You’ve been beside me the whole damn time!”

It might have been the most accurate thing Fitz had ever said in his life. Jemma had always taken photos and for the first time Fitz was grateful for her blinding him with a flash at regular intervals. The earliest photo she had of them was from one of their first projects together when they had first come up with the dendrotoxin formula that was the key to the night night gun. The picture versions of themselves stood proudly behind one of the chemistry lab benches, a vial of blue liquid taking centre between them. They stood apart, at a professional distance, they were still getting used to being friends then but that breakthrough had helped. As Fitz thumbed through the photos it was striking how the gap between them closed more and more. He paused on another photo, this was picture of them out celebrating his eighteenth birthday in the boiler room. Both of them had slightly dopey expressions on their faces, a sign that alcohol had been consumed. Looking at the picture he could suddenly understand why so many people had assumed that they were a bit more than just friends. He had an arm wrapped around her small shoulders, her body was turned so she was facing him, a hand resting on the middle of his chest, he was grinning wildly at the camera but Jemma was looking at him and smiling. Fitz silently cursed his younger self for not noticing this at the time but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. He and Jemma were friends, best friends, they had been for years. Fitz’s research was not over yet however and he continued his search, desperately looking for something that would prove or disprove his current hypothesis. The next few pages were filled with graduation pictures and them receiving various awards for their cleverness. These photos again gave very little away, they were stood side by side by they were being highly professional, dressed smart, serious looks on their faces. The next page made him inhale sharply. Another party photo. Another photo of him and Jemma in a drunken state that looked a bit more than friendly, it was a photo that drew back memories he had been repressing from the day they received their academy exam results, memories he had never shared with another soul, not even Jemma. This time Fitz sat on a barstool, Jemma stood behind him her chin resting on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist. In this photo neither of them looked at the camera, instead photo Fitz was holding up a funny looking cocktail so that Jemma could drink out of the straw over his shoulder. A face in the background of the photo caught his eye. He had not thought about Jemma’s ex, Milton, in years but his cabbage like appearance was undeniable and the dirty look he was throwing them was hard to miss. Thinking about Milton caused Fitz's blood to begin boiling and a knot roll up in his stomach. 

“Oh bollocks,” Fitz whispered to himself angrily. Finally he could no longer deny it. As he looked at the Jemma in the picture, her arms wrapped around him so intimately something Fitz had been suppressing for years surfaced with a furiousness he couldn’t have anticipated. it was no longer a question, it was no longer a hypothesis. He was a man of science after all and the evidence was there and it could not be argued with. Finally, after so many years, he was ready to admit it to himself: he was in love with Jemma Simmons.


	3. I'll Take Care of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter after rewatching the fight between Fitz and Daisy in the current season. Fitz seemed so upset that Daisy would not accept help from him and the rest of the team it felt like there was some back story we had missed out on.  
> Fitz went through a horrible time of it when Jemma was off on a different planet and I wanted to write about Daisy's part in that time.  
> So this is set between the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3.

Daisy did not know what had been more heart-breaking, watching Jemma get taken by the monolith or watching Fitz’s reaction to it. Only an hour early he had poked his head round the door of Daisy’s bunk looking excited, asking if she had seen Jemma anywhere.

“No I’ve not seen her,” Daisy replied questioningly.

“Weird,” he replied, “she must be getting ready for dinner,” he said disappearing as quickly as he appeared.

An hour later Fitz had reappeared around the door again this time looking a mix of agitated and worried.

“Daisy, nobody has seen Simmons anywhere I don’t want to seem a bit jumpy but I just found the containment for the monolith not shut properly. Can you help me check the surveillance footage?” he was wringing his hands together nervously as he spoke, his voice cracking.

“Sure thing,” Daisy said hopping off her bed, “Bet she’s just taking a really long shower or something.”

But when they looked at the footage Daisy was speechless. She could not believe what her eyes were seeing. Daisy sat frozen to the spot. Fitz opened and closed his mouth uselessly a few times trying to process what he had just seen. Suddenly he let out a loud cry of rage, standing up and aggressively throwing a pile of books of the desk before charging out of the room.

“Shit,” Daisy swore charging after him knowing exactly where he was going.

He ran full pelt down the corridor past the labs, Daisy knew there was no way she could catch him. She caught a glance of Mack just a bit further down the corridor than Fitz.

“MACK GRAB FITZ!” she shouted desperately. Mack gave a startled look but his field training kicked in, he followed the order he was given and tackled Fitz to the floor.

“Get off me,” Fitz growled attempting to punch Mack. Despite Fitz’s rage and desperation he was still not as strong as Mack.

Coulson suddenly appeared around the corner next to Daisy. Daisy felt a wave of relief sweep over her as she always did when Coulson was around. 

“Why exactly are Mack and Fitz wrestling in the middle of the corridor?”

So Daisy explained everything that she and Fitz had just watched. Coulson kept his usual stoic form and assigned tasks for everybody to try and find out what had happened to Jemma but nothing worked. 

They continued this work fruitlessly for 2 weeks before Coulson eventually had to give in and start assigning people back to their everyday tasks, something that made Fitz extremely angry. Daisy was no scientist but she did what she could to help by leaving a dedicated server to look for any signal from Jemma’s phone. She did not know what else to do.

Another 4 weeks went by and most of the team had accepted with heavy hearts that Jemma was gone. Except for Fitz. Daisy had found a new admiration for the man and hoped that if she ever went missing that she would have someone who cared about her that much to find her. However Fitz had become unkempt, he was losing weight and hadn’t shaved since Simmon’s had vanished and had become feral in his way. He would only speak to people to bark orders. Bobbi had taken on most of his workload so that Fitz could go AWOL for days at a time. Daisy knew that everybody had noticed but nobody had the guts to confront Fitz.

After yet another 2 weeks Fitz was getting even worse. Daisy found herself missing her friend more and more and decided it was time to do something about it. So she put on her best brave face and marched herself into the lab pulling a chair up next to Fitz. Fitz was staring intently at his computer monitor, not even acknowledging Daisy next to him. Daisy had anticipated this from his but what she hadn’t anticipated was the smell that he was exuding. She decided it was best to ignore this for the present moment.

“So what are you working on, science man?” she said trying to sound casual.

Fitz jumped a little at her voice and turned to look at her.

His voice croaked as he spoke as if he hadn’t used it for a while.

“I’ve been talking to Pym Industries,” he said pointing at an open email on his screen, “They are the leading experts in Pym Particles which are extra dimensional particles that can add or decrease the mass of something, living or inanimate.”

“So you think Jemma was made teeny tiny by the monolith?” Daisy asked.

“Well I did,” Fitz said quietly, “But I sent some readings to Hank Pym and he said that although there is definitely something very unusual about it, the monolith is not showing any signs of Pym Particles so we’ve ruled out the possibility.”

“Well surely ruling it out is still some sort of progress?” Daisy said hopefully, “Must bring you closer to finding out what it really is.”  
“It’s frustrating,” Fitz said diplomatically.

Daisy took a deep breath, trying to choose her words very carefully.

“Look Fitz, I know that finding Jemma means everything to you at the moment and I totally get that you are not going to give up before you get some answers but you need to look after yourself better. I mean you’re not sleeping, you’re barely eating and your personal hygiene has become very questionable. I mean what would Jemma say to you if she saw you like this?”

Fitz looked at Daisy thoughtfully for a moment before grabbing a spoon out a coffee mug off his desk and looking at his reflection in the back of it. He ran his hands over his untamed beard as if he was only noticing it for the first time. He let out a woeful sigh.

“I think she would probably have given me a good earful of abuse by now.” Fitz mouth formed the smallest hint of a smile. But as quickly as the smile appeared it was gone again. He put his hands over his face and began to sob. 

Daisy wanted to leave the room. She wanted to leave this broken man alone with his grief but she knew she needed to stay where she was. Fitz had stood by her when she discovered her powers so she owed him this.

She put a hand on his shoulder, this seemed to trigger something in Fitz and glanced up at her, his eyes still wet.

“Look I can’t help you with the science stuff, this is way out of my league but I am going to do what I can to help you,” she said feeling her eyes fill up as well, “I’ll take care of you. I will make sure you eat 3 meals a day, I’ll make sure you have clean clothes and I’ll tidy your bunk for you a few times a week so you can actually sleep in there. But first things first, whilst you are thinking about your next course of action you can come with me.”

“What for?” he asked quietly. 

“We need to sort out that mass of hair you’ve been calling a face.” She took his hand and he followed the pressure blindly. She took him to her bunk and sat him down at her desk chair. She pulled a set of clippers out of her drawer.

“You’re lucky I still have these,” she said smiling. “I bought them years ago so I could cut Mile’s hair back when we lived in the back of my van. I nearly got rid of them but I am a sucker for a bit of reminiscing.”

Fitz didn’t say anything but nodded. Daisy set to work. She started with his beard, trimming it nice and short for him so only a shadow of stubble was left. She then set to work on the mass of curls on his head. She gave him a simple grade 4 all over cut so it was easy for him to look after. Fitz admired himself briefly in the mirror after she was done.  
“You know that does feel a lot better. It was like an itch I didn’t even know I had. Thank you.”

“No problem,” she said smiling. “Now go take a nice long shower, get all the bits of hair off you and put on some clean clothes. You’ll feel so much better.”  
Fitz did as he was told and headed off to the showers. Whilst he was gone Daisy took the opportunity to get into his bunk. She picked up all his dirty laundry and put clean sheets on his bed before taking it all down the machines to be cleaned and dried. 

Finally she went to the kitchens. May was already in there eating some pasta, head buried in a book. Daisy noticed the leftovers of the stove.  
“Hey do you mind if I take some of this for Fitz?” Daisy asked.

“Please do. All he’s been eating for the last two weeks is chips and cookies. It’ll be good for him to eat a proper meal!” May said generously.  
Daisy spooned some of the pasta into a bowl, “You know I never fully appreciated Fitz before all this stuff with Simmons happened she mused to May.  
“What do you mean?” May asked putting her book onto the table.

“You know,” Daisy started, “He’s so loyal to Simmons, we’ve all long given up hope and there is he is day after day, not giving up until he has an answer. I knew he and Simmon’s were close but that kind of dedication doesn’t happen often.”

May smiled slightly, “The funny thing about Fitz is that you can so easily not notice he’s even there and yet he is probably the strongest part of this team we have. I’d be willing to bet rather a large sum of money that he would be just as obsessive if any of us got swallowed by that evil space rock. The only difference is, if it was anybody else, Simmons would not have let his health deteriorate as much.”

Daisy mulled this over for a moment and considered what she had learnt about Fitz over the years. He was the last to accept Ward was Hydra but the first to trust her with her new powers. Daisy realised May was completely right. Fitz was selfless to a point it was almost a fault. He needed Simmons to be selfish for him.  
By the time Daisy had gotten back to the lab, Fitz was already at his desk researching. She placed the food and a glass of orange juice next to him. He looked like a new man in his clean clothes but Daisy couldn’t help but laugh at his t-shirt.

“Didn’t know you're a Chewbacca fan?” she said giggling.

“Hmm, oh right,” he said glancing down, “Well I’ve not done any washing for the last 6 weeks. This was all I had left. It was a birthday present from my mum last year.” His cheeks glowed a little.

Daisy bent down and pulled Fitz into a hug.

“Are you alright?” Fitz asked, his throat pressed into her shoulder making his voice slightly strained.

“Thank you for being the best big brother in the history of the universe.” She said genuinely.

“Oh,” he awkwardly patted her on the back, “Anytime.”

Daisy and Fitz’s arrangement continued for the next 6 weeks. Daisy would deposit 3 meals each day onto Fitz desk unless he was out researching. She continued to do his laundry for him and pin him down for beard trims whenever he started to become teen wolf again. Fitz began to look healthier which made him far more productive in his search for Jemma but far less productive in his lab work. Bobbi continued to cover for him and absorb the work load.

After 3 long months Fitz finally had his breakthrough and Jemma was finally back to the safety of the playground. She was exhausted but she was okay.

Once Jemma had found her feet again she knocked on Daisy’s door.

“Hey Space Girl,” Daisy greeted her warmly. She was thrilled to see Jemma out of her room and wondering around the base again. It made it so much more real that she was actually back.

“Hey, Skye, I mean Daisy. Sorry it’s going to take me a couple of days to get used to that.” Jemma said apologetically. 

“It’s alright. Coulson still hasn’t adjusted after 3 months so at least you’re not as bad as that. But anyway, what brings you to my humble abode,” Daisy said gesturing around her cluttered room.

“I spoke to Bobbi. She told me about how Fitz was whilst I was…away.” Jemma looked a little sad as she spoke, “She told me about how broken and ill he was and how it’s only because of you that he didn’t end up keeling over in a big exhausted mess. So I wanted to thank you for being there for him when I couldn’t be. It means a lot to me.”

There was another knock on the door and this time Fitz poked his head round.

“Daisy have you seen Jemma?” he asked frowning before spotting Jemma just behind the door, “Oh, I bought some dinner to your bunk but you weren’t there, I was worried.”  
Jemma smiled, “Thanks Fitz I’ll come and eat it now, I am pretty hungry. See you later Daisy,” she said giving a small wave as she left the room.

“There is more if you want some?” Fitz said looking back at Daisy.

Daisy loved seeing Fitz this way, relaxed, happy and finally able to focus on taking care of Jemma again. The base felt like it had reached it’s natural order again. “Thanks Fitz, I’ll go grab a plate in a minute.”

“Well you can’t say I never take care of you,” he said with a wink before shutting the door.

Daisy smiled to herself.


	4. That Night in Bucharest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because of this chapter I've had to up this series to a mature rating. This is my first time writing anything of a more adult nature and I had to be fairly drunk to get it to a state I was happy with. This went very heavily against all my English instincts, however I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> This is what transpired after the camera faded during the crossing of the event horizon in 3x18. I had set out to write it more from Simmons's perspective but Fitz pushed himself to the foreground and wouldn't budge, I could not explain how or why.

Fitz wasn’t sure if he was imagining the signal from Jemma or not. He wanted to make a bold move but nerves stopped him. So he did the only thing he could think of and dropped his bag and keys to the floor. Jemma’s eyes fixed on him.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” he said gently approaching her. Suddenly they were interlocked kissing passionately. Fitz wasn’t sure if it was his decision or hers, maybe it was both but he wasn’t going to question it. Her hands moved desperately across his face before moving down and pulling off his jacket, Fitz was surprised by how forward she was, yet at the same time he realised that Jemma’s sexual side was the only aspect of her he had no knowledge of. Of course they had shared some passionate kisses in the last few days but this was very different, there was a hunger exuding from her that he had not expected, a hunger that was drawing him in, but he was willing.

Her hands moved down further, untucking his shirt from the waist of his trousers, he returned the gesture by caressing her hips and kissing her deeper. He felt his head swimming with thoughts only of her and what they were about to do but as her chilled hands grazed his stomach and then reached back up to his face reality sunk in for a moment. She was the most important person in his world and they were about to embark on something that there would be no coming back from. Using every ounce of strength in his body he grasped her hands and held them tight between his own. Still absorbed in his own desires his forehead fell against hers, both of them breathing deeply.

“Jemma?” he said weakly.

“Yes,” she sighed, her chest and shoulders rising which each heavy breath.

Fitz wanted her to pause, he had not considered that he was going to have this sort of effect on her, that she would be this desperate for him. He wanted her to have a moment to breathe and think, she needed a chance to back out if she wasn’t ready for this.

“Your hands are freezing,” it wasn’t a lie. Nerves had made his flesh boil and her hands were a stark contrast. In truth however Fitz was enjoying the refreshing chill of her touch.

Jemma giggled, her eyes snapping up to meet his, with their foreheads touching this was a very intimate move, if anybody else in the world had tried to make eye contact with him like that Fitz would have recoiled.

“Are they?” she sounded a mix of amused and embarrassed. She raised her hands to her cheeks to test the temperature. Fitz kept hold of her, not ready to let go yet, but preparing himself for her to change her mind.

“Oh, they’re like little ice buckets aren’t they?” flakes of nerves glistened in her voice.

He pulled her hands up to his face and gently blew warm are across them. He gave her a look that he hoped suggested, “I am happy to go at your pace.”

She gave him a beautiful half smile, “Do you think you can brave it?”  
Fitz’s heart skipped a beat, no more hesitation, now he knew for certain that she wanted this as badly as he did.

“I’ll do my best to power through,” he said, barely opening his mouth. Once again their lips met but before they could get truly caught up in the kiss Jemma fell backwards onto the bed. Fitz followed her quickly, not wanting to break contact. He laid almost on top of her but was careful to hold up his own weight. To Fitz’s surprise Jemma pushed her hips up into him and wrapped her leg around him, pushing him over onto his back and sitting across him. Fitz let out a small chuckle and she resumed her earlier work on his shirt, desperately pulling on the buttons, undoing them one by one exposing his pale skin. She bit her bottom lip as she trailed her finger tips through the small patch of hair between his pecs down towards his navel. Fitz sat up, unable to take her gentle touches anymore. He shrugged out of his open shirt and then grabbed the bottom of Jemma’s blouse pulling it slowly upwards and over her head revealing her breast,s covered up only by a lacey bra. She bent down to kiss him again but he noticed her hands were no longer on him. As the kiss ended she leant back a little and began to slip the fabric off her shoulders. Fitz inhaled sharply, he knew his mouth was hanging open but he didn’t care. As she gently tossed her bra to one side Fitz took a few seconds to take in the view but just as before he could not resist touching for long. Letting out his hot breath, he leant in trailing his lips and the tip of his tongue around her nipple. Jemma let out a quiet moan which told Fitz he had done the right thing. She put her soft hands over his shoulder and raked her nails across the skin on his back, it was his turn to moan. Spurred on, he took her nipple fully into his mouth and gently sucked on it, the action caused Jemma to arch up, throwing her head back, she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.

“We’re still wearing too many clothes,” she whispered, her voice strained in a way he had never heard before.

Fitz couldn’t help but agree His trousers and boxer shorts felt very restrictive and he was keen to completely unwrap Jemma. He undid the button on Jemma’s leather trousers and she unbuckled his belt. He got a thrill from having her hands so close to him. It had been years since any woman had touched him like this, but this was Jemma.

“Hold on,” he said suddenly. He put his hands on her hips and slid her gently from his lap. Fitz stood next to the bed and offered Jemma a hand to stand with him. She cocked her head slightly to one side questioningly but followed his lead.

“What…?” she started.

Fitz felt himself flush slightly, but his state of arousal and adrenaline made him brave. “I’ve pictured you in this situation so many times, I just want to see you for real.”

Jemma, flushed slightly to match him, “Okay,” she said quietly, “Well I can assure you the feeling is quite mutual.”

Fitz let out a nervous laugh in spite of himself and closed the gap between them. Gently he tugged her waistband a little, until her trousers began to slip down. Smugly he noticed that her underwear matched her discarded bra, glad he could still predict Jemma, even in uncharted territory. She stepped out of her garment and began to match the action with Fitz. He was less nervous than he expected to be bearing all to her. It was an unusual situation but he did not feel judged at all, he hoped she felt the same.

All that separated them now from nakedness was her knickers and his boxers. Jemma gave him a slightly devilish grin which he was slowly learning was her being seductive.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?” she winked at him. They were stood close enough that he could feel her breath on his chin. He gave her a gentle, teasing kiss before doing as he was asked. He slid his boxers down, freeing himself from the material, Jemma followed suit. He caught her eyes glance down and her eyebrows raise a little. This was a look he knew well, she often looked this way after an interesting chemical reaction or reading a new fact in a text book. Fitz could not resist fully appreciating what stood before him. He stepped around her in a tight circle, absorbing every curve and contour her body had to offer, every mole, every scar, every soft part of her skin.

“You’re beautiful,” he said simply, in awe of her.

Very suddenly Jemma reached up and aggressively grabbed the back of his hair, pulling him into a fierce kiss and pushing him back down onto the bed straddling him again as she did before. He could feel the heat from between her thighs, so hot it almost felt like it could burn him. Fitz knew in his current state he was unlikely to last long and he was not ready for this to be over so soon. He put his hand roughly on her shoulders and flipped her onto her back so now he across her, his legs between hers, still feeling the heat of her. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do next. They continued to kiss desperately, she gently bit on his lower lip, he hands grasping his buttocks, pushing him toward her.

“Please,” she gasped, “I need you.”

“I have a better idea,” he sighed into her ear, gently sucking on the lobe. From there he began moving down her body, inhaling her intoxicating scent and drinking in every part of her. As his face reached her thighs Jemma seemed to be holding her breath, her hand resting on his shoulder. He flicked his tongue across the inside of her thigh, she reacted by tightening her grip on his shoulder. This was enough of a signal for Fitz to understand that she liked his idea very much. He kissed the warmth between her legs.

“Oh Fitz,” she moaned. He continued and flicked his tongue across her, occasionally pushing it slightly inside her and sucking gently. His experience in sex was quite limited but he understood the effect he was having. Her hands pushed his head in deeper and her wetness was all too apparent. It did not take long for Fitz to feel pulses of ecstasy race through Jemma’s body causing her to convulse on his mouth, “oh god,” her speech was barely audible. Fitz crawled up the bed to lay next to her, watching her enjoy the remaining seconds of her orgasm, the thrill of managing to provide it made Fitz beam, she was smiling as well.

“That was, well that was amazing,” she said once she had regained the ability to speak, “Where did you learn that?”

Fitz gave her a sheepish grin, “All I’m going to say is the internet is a wonderful invention.”  
She shook her head, laughing a little, “Well I think I need to return the favour.”

With one swift movement Jemma was once again on top of him, straddling his legs. She put her hands on his shoulders but then slowly let her fingers glide his body, across his chest and stomach. Her fingers grazed past the tip of his hardness causing his toes to curl involuntarily. Then her hands held him completely, stroking him in ways he only ever imagined they could, all his other senses dulled and all he could feel were her hands on him, but he wanted more, he wanted to feel all that she had to offer and so it was his turn to beg. 

“Jemma, please?”

Saying her name like this seemed to give her a thrill, her eyes snapped up to his face, searching him.

“Please what?” she replied bravely. 

Another unexpected surprise. He had not expected her to be someone who would want dirty talk and even more to his surprise, he liked it. He mustered up all the courage he had within him to reply, “I want to be inside you. Now,” he ordered.

Jemma did not hesitate. Rising onto her knees she moved forward, he pulled her head forward for a desperate kiss. As their lips crashed together so hard it was almost painful, Jemma slid down taking him inside her.

“Oh fuck,” Fitz called out unable to control himself. It did not take long for them to find a rhythm. He put his hands firmly on her swaying hips helping her control the pace. Each movement sent a new thrill through his being. 

He quickly felt himself reaching tipping point but he wasn’t done yet. He sat up, throwing his arms around Jemma. He pushed her backwards so he was now on top and in control. He thrust in and out of her, her moans becoming louder and then finally he could take no more. The release of pressure was like nothing he had felt before, powerful and all consuming. Jemma cried out with him, his pleasure causing her climax in her own again. Her body contracting around him made everything feel even more incredible. Never in his life had he felt anything so intense and he could barely believe that she was enjoying this with him. When the spasms stopped he gently rolled off her, falling onto his back and panting. Jemma rolled over so her heard was resting in the nook of his arm, allowing him to plant a gentle peck on her head.

“Well Dr Fitz, I would consider that to be a successful experiment, don’t you?” she said giggling a little.

“Yes I would Dr Simmons. Although further testing will be needed to ensure that we have conclusive results.” 

They both laughed happily and Fitz pulled her into a tight embrace. Jemma was quiet for a moment, he could hear her thinking.

“Did you expect it to be that….good?” she said quietly.

“No,” Fitz said, “I honestly expected this to be awkward as hell, I didn’t realise we were going to be so compatible.”

Jemma sat up slightly so she could look at him properly, “Well it makes sense when you think about it. You look after me so well in every other aspect of my life. You stimulate me academically, you read my emotions like a book, even the ones I try to hide and you know all of my likes and dislikes. It makes sense to me that you would also look after my sexual needs so well.”

Fitz smiled from ear to ear. All he wanted in life was to make her happy, it was great to hear that he was doing a good job in her eyes.

They lay there for a further hour, holding each other, talking and laughing. Finally however the bubble was burst in the form of Mack banging on the door.

“Wheels up in twenty,” he barked, “Hope you enjoyed the room but I do not need details.”

Fitz’s eyes widened and threw Jemma a concerned look. She giggled softly.

“Yeah, Mack has us completely figured out,” she explained, “Our broken comms did not go unnoticed.

“Typical,” Fitz scoffed, reluctantly climbing out of bed to get his clothes, “The one time you want someone to be thick, they just have to go and be clever.”

Jemma shook her head and smiled and started pulling on her own clothes. Fitz groaned internally, “Back to reality,” he thought. Though whatever was going to happen, whatever hardship might come their way, Fitz knew one thing for certain, he would remember their night in Bucharest for the rest of his days and maybe longer.


	5. A strange time to be awake

When the alarm went off at 4am Fitz slowly drifted into consciousness with a grumble. He slid his arm out from underneath Jemma and switched off the alarm on his mobile phone. Jemma let out a light sigh as he laid back down pulling her into a tight hug from behind.

“I don’t want to go,” he complained planting a soft kiss on the back of her neck.

“I don’t want you to go either but we don’t have a choice really, you know we can’t tell anyone about us yet”.

Fitz knew she was right but it didn’t make leaving the comfort of her bed any easier especially when she was wearing as little as she was. Since crossing the event horizon in Bucharest they had spent every night together like this. Fitz would sneak into Jemma’s bedroom after everybody had turned in for the night and would get up a four in the morning to sneak back to his bunk. The earliest riser on base was May and she always left her bunk at 4:30 to head to gym. They could not stand to spend the nights alone anymore. Jemma found she slept sounder with Fitz around, her nightmares about Maveth and Will became less frequent and much more bearable and Fitz found drifting off much easier knowing that Jemma was safe in his arms. It would have made things simpler if they just made their relationship public but with Daisy being taken by Hive it just did not feel right and besides it was such a massive breach of protocol, they needed it to look like they had asked permission before starting the relationship. So they had both resigned themselves to wait. They would wait until Hive was gone and Daisy was safe and then they would file for a change in relationship status, following the exact procedure. It seemed like the most likely way to get Coulson to approve things and continue letting them work together.

So reluctantly and with a lot more sighing Fitz got out of her bed, pulled on his pyjama bottoms and slipped his feet into his tartan slippers. He bent down and gave Jemma a kiss on her forehead. Jemma reached up and grabbed the back of his neck pulling him in for a proper kiss goodbye. Fitz chuckled.

“I’ll see you in the kitchen for breakfast in less than 3 hours,” he said smiling.  
“Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you,” she said smiling sleepily.

Fitz took a brief moment to admire her, the way her hair was tangled from sleep, her mascara slightly smudged under her eyes, the tiny patch of saliva that had escaped onto her pillow. A year ago Fitz would never have believed he would be privileged enough to see Jemma this way, she was so vulnerable and honest like this, she was beautiful and she was with him.

“Ughh Fitz stop staring at me,” she laughed swatting at his legs with her hand.

“Sorry Jemma,” he laughed before planting one more kiss on her cheek and making his way towards the door of the bunk, “See you in a couple of hours.”  
Fitz quietly slipped out of the room, holding the door so it clicked gently back into the frame. Only the emergency lighting was on in the hallway, he quickly glanced towards the kitchen area, the lights there were off to, that was good, nobody had gotten up for glass of water or an early snack. Fitz turned to start making his way to his bunk.

“Fitz?”

Fitz let out a high pitched squeak, much higher than he was comfortable with.

“Director, what er, what brings you, why are you? Trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah a little,” he sighed, “Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve been like a zombie in these halls lately.” 

“Wells that’s understandable,” Fitz replied casually, Coulson hadn’t seemed to notice which room he had just come out of and Fitz hoped a bit of casual conversation would help keep it that way. “You’ve been through enough lately to make anybody an insomniac.”

“Very true. But what’s gotten you up so early?” he said nodding to Fitz.

“Me, Sir? Well I just got up to get a glass of water,” Fitz replied pointing towards the kitchen.

“I see.” Coulson said, a slight smirk creeping onto his face. “Is there something wrong with the tap in the kitchen?”

Fitz felt himself begin to sweat, “The taps, no the tap is fine, working perfectly in fact. W-why do you ask?” Fitz leant on the wall in a way he felt looked very nonchalant.  
“Well I was wondering why you were coming out of Agent Simmons’s room if you were able to get a drink in the kitchen?”

Fitz made a few panicked noises that were not words before finally answering….

“I can explain that,” he said uselessly.

“I bet you can. And I would love to hear all about it in my office at 7am sharp.”

Fitz inhaled deeply before simply saying “yes sir”.

Coulson gave Fitz a firm pat on the shoulder and started down the corridor, Fitz stayed rooted to the spot trying to process what had just happened.

“On and Fitz, you might as well go back to Jemma’s bed, you can pass on the message that she should join you for our early meeting.”

Once Coulson was out of view Fitz stumbled back into Jemma’s bunk to find her stood up by the doorway, looking shocked and angry all in one go.

“Oh good work, Leo,” she scolded.

Fitz winced, she only called him Leo when she was really upset with him. Fitz braced himself for the onslaught.

“You couldn’t have just told him that I had called you because I’d had a late night epiphany about Hive’s sway or I’d had a nightmare and wanted to talk it out or any number of different scenarios that didn’t imply that we are having secret illicit rendezvous.”

Fitz felt the corners of his mouth twitch involuntarily. “Illicit rendezvous? Is that what we’re calling this?”

“No of course that’s not what we are calling this. We know this goes much deeper than just sex. But what is everyone else going to think when they find out we’ve been sneaking around. I feel like I’ve just been caught hiding a boy in my room by my dad,” Jemma said pacing the room and flapping her arms about frantically. Fitz sat down on the end of the bed and watched her for a moment. Jemma continued her panicked rant.

“What if Coulson fires us for breach of protocol or stops us from working together? Or he could even forbid us from having anything more than a professional relationship!”

“Jemma sit down,” Fitz said firmly. Jemma threw him a dirty look but did as she was asked, and flopped onto the bed with her legs crossed.

“I really don’t think Coulson is going to react that badly,” he reassured her, “I mean he let May and Ward have a casual relationship, he let Bobbi and Hunter be, whatever Bobbi and Hunter are. Hell until Daisy went AWOL her and Lincoln were very out and proud with their thing. It’d be pretty hypocritical if he threw the book at us.”

Jemma took a deep breath and nodded slowly. A sense of calm and reason seemed to wash over her, “You’re right, of course your right.”  
“I usually am,” he joked winking at her.

 

At 6.55AM Fitz and Jemma checked themselves in the mirror. Fitz wore a plan shirt, black trousers and had put a tie on. Jemma was wearing a blouse and tailored trousers.  
“I think we look suitably professional, Dr Fitz” she said trying to fake confidence.

“I agree, Dr Simmons,” Fitz said giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. “Time to face the music.”

They walked together in silence to the Directors office. They passed May in the kitchen making her breakfast. She shot them a look that made Fitz shiver slightly. Did she know?  
Once they reached Coulson’s door they paused for a moment. Fitz took in a sudden deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Coulson shouted. When they entered the room he was sat behind his desk, looking very calm, too calm really.

“Director sir, I just wanted to say….” Jemma started quickly but Coulson put up a hand to silence her.

“No I think I will started this conversation,” he said quietly. He took a pause for a moment to pour himself and coffee. Fitz fiddled with his tie nervously.  
Coulson sighed audibly before breaking the tension filled silence.

“I am so disappointed with you both,” he said shaking his head. Fitz felt Jemma stiffen next to him.

“I thought you two were better than this. What were you thinking keeping a relationship secret? And don’t you dare try and deny it. I was not born yesterday and am fully aware why you were sneaking out of Jemma’s room last night.”

“Sir…” Fitz interjected.

“No I am not finished talking, Agent Fitz,” Coulson snapped. “There is a reason all agents are required to disclose potential relationships. It is to protect everybody. If I send you out into the field together how do I know that you are not going to put yourselves and others at risk because of your emotional attachment? I can’t prepare for these things if I don’t know.” Coulson did not raise his voice at any point, which just left them feeling profoundly guilty. Coulson continued his calm lecture.  
“This team in already so broken and divided. I do not need you two sneaking around keeping secrets. What do you have to say for yourselves?”  
Fitz and Jemma looked at each other and silently nominated Fitz to speak.

“Sir, we are sorry. It’s just with everything else going on we didn’t think it was the right time to declare a relationship. We thought it would seem insensitive. I mean May has just lost Andrew to Hive, we’ve all had to say goodbye to Bobbi and Hunter and then of course Daisy and everything that we are all going through with that, you most of all sir. It feels like the wrong time to be happy I suppose.” Fitz glanced at Jemma, she looked a little tearful, “I don’t want you thinking that me and Jemma are just sneaking round because we’re just having a physical relationship, it’s not like that at all. We really do care about each other, Sir. And it’s not like it’s been going on for ages, it’s only been a couple of weeks really.”

For the first time since they entered the room Coulson’s mouth formed a small smile.

“Fitz I don’t think anybody on this base would ever accuse either of you of just being sex buddies,” he laughed.

“Just to clarify sir, Fitz and I have discussed our relationship in a lot of detail and we don’t think it would ever affect our work and commitment to SHIELD. SHIELD has and always will come first,” Jemma chimed in quickly.

Coulson smiled again. “The odd thing about you two is you see the world in such a brilliant and logical way, seeing the smallest details they most others miss. You are just so damn clever and yet this thing between you, you just don’t seem to see it properly at all.”  
Fitz and Jemma looked at him questioningly.

“Simmons, you believe very strongly in protocol right? Things worth doing are worth doing properly and all that? Love procedure and hierarchy?” Coulson said to Jemma.  
Jemma nodded, “Of course sir, it’s half the reason a joined SHIELD in the first place. The other half was because of science”.

“So do you remember shooting Agent Sitwell, your superior officer, in the chest about 4 years ago?” Coulson countered.

“Yes but that was because Fitz was out in the field with no rescue plan and I couldn’t just let him get killed or captured….I see your point,” Jemma said smiling, slightly embarrassed, at her feet.

“And I can give you so many more examples. Of course Fitz,” Coulson said turning to Fitz, “Don’t even get me started on the things you did to get Jemma back from Maveth. Reckless doesn’t even begin to cover it. Just being friends has affected both of your ability as agents on more than one occasion which is why it was so stupid of you not to tell me.”

“We really are sorry, we didn’t think,” Jemma said quietly.

Fitz took a deep breath to psych himself up before speaking “Yeah, we totally understand if you don’t want us working together anymore but I will say Sir, this relationship between us is non-negotiable.” Fitz’s voice cracked slightly as he spoke. Jemma slipped her hand into his and gave him a gentle squeeze.  
Coulson pursed his lips and nodded.

“I have absolutely no intention of breaking you apart. Not as a couple or as working partners. Even though your past history does show that you are likely to make bad decisions to protect each other it does also show that you are more productive and more resilient when you work together. So nothing needs to change at the moment.” Fitz and Jemma beamed from ear to ear, “But there will be some ground rules. Whilst you are working you have to keep things professional, especially in front of your subordinates, no public displays of affection, lead by example. In your own time you can do what you want as long as it does not affect your work. In communal areas you can do what you want just use common sense and don’t gross us all out.”

Jemma released a big sigh of relief, “Well that seems very reasonable sir.”

“Yes, thank you.” Fitz agreed.

“Anyway,” Coulson said smiling, “I won’t keep you any more from your breakfast, I’ve heard Mack might be making pancakes. Just be careful around May, she lost a bet to me about you two and she might be a little resentful”. Coulson gave them a subtle wink and waved them out of his office. Once the door was shut and Fitz saw they were in a quiet, empty corridor he could not help but plant a big kiss on Jemma’s lips.


	6. Those 3 Little Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during 3x21. After Fitz escapes the primal inhumans with Jemma's help there are a lot of emotions flying around.

Jemma’s heart was pounding, watching Fitz fight the primitive inhumans on the monitor. Despite her worry she could not help but admire him, watching him improvise using the fire extinguisher and desperately help his remaining college. It was only when the hanger door finally shut that Jemma realised she had been holding her breath. She let out a deep sigh and gulped in some needed oxygen. Before Coulson could draw her into a conversation Jemma charged out of the room, she needed to see Fitz and check he was alright. She ran towards the hanger as fast as she could on her already exhausted legs. As she rounded the corner to the hanger door she found Fitz still sat on the floor trying to catch his breath, fire extinguisher propped up next to him.

“Oh my goodness, Fitz, are you ok?” Jemma gasped throwing herself onto her knees next to him. His forehead was dripping with sweat and his hands were shaking.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, “Just exhausted and relieved and upset all at the same time. Those poor agents. That was 5 of them turned, just like that,” he said, his eyes welling up a little.

Jemma felt a small pang of guilt sweep over her for not thinking about the other agents sooner but she dismissed it. This was of course not her fault. Jemma had been very careful recently to not let her blame herself for things out of her control as she always had in the past. 

“You did what you could for them,” she said dabbing his head with a handkerchief, “Are you hurt at all?” 

Fitz studied himself for a moment as if he was remembering he was actually a person. “My wrist is a little sore,” he finally concluded, “Probably from swinging that thing around,” he said gesturing at the fire extinguisher.

Jemma got to her feet, “In that case you are coming with me to the med bay at once,” she ordered holding a hand out to Fitz and helping him stand up.

“Yes Ma’am,” he said with a weak smile, accepting her help to his feet.

Once in the med bay Fitz hopped up onto one of the examination beds as instructed by Jemma and rolled up his shirt sleeve.

“I don’t think this is necessary Dr Simmons, it’s only a wee twinge.”

“Yes well better safe than sorry.” She said lifting up his wrist to examine it. There were no signs of swelling or redness. “Looks like it’s just a little sprain at very worst. Just try and rest it for a week or two and you should be right as rain.” She bowed her face down towards his arm and left a gentle kiss on his wrist.

“I’m no physician,” Fitz laughed, “But I’m not certain kissing it better is going to work.”

“Well it made me feel better,” Jemma said quietly. Her emotions finally started to take over her and her eyes began to moisten. Fitz did not miss this and sprang to his feet engulfing Jemma into his arms. She threw her arms around him as well and let out a quiet sob into his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Fitz whispered to her.

“I am really,” she whispered quietly back, “I was just so scared that I was going to watch you be killed or turned into one of the crimes against nature.”

Fitz pulled out of the embrace and put his hands on her shoulders gentle rubbing them. He bent down slightly to make eye contact with Jemma.

“Well thanks to you and your beautiful brain that didn’t happen,” he said smiling. “And besides, there is no way you are getting rid of me that easily. We have got so much more of this to be doing.”

Fitz planted a gentle but passionate kiss onto Jemma’s lips. She let out a small giggle.

“I mean even if I did get turned into one of those primitives we could still hang out.” Fitz said smiling, “I mean the conversation wouldn’t be as good but you would finally have something that resembles a lab monkey.”

“Oh no, Fitz the lab monkey is your dream, not mine,” she laughed nudging him, “If it’s all the same to you I would very much like to stick to my regular, handsome, Leopald Fitz.”  
This time it was Jemma that planted a kiss on Fitz’s lips. This one lasted a little longer and when they broke apart they lingered in silence for a moment, foreheads together.

“I love you,” the words fell out of Jemma’s mouth before she even had a chance to process what she was saying. But as she said those long overdue words to Fitz it felt like she had let a huge weight out of her body at the same time. Fitz pulled his forehead away from her for a moment and his eyes widened.

“Oh,” he said lamely.

Jemma felt her heart beat quicken and her stomach plummet as the weight re-entered her body.

“Sorry,” she said quickly, “I know it’s really soon in our relationship and we’ve been through a lot today. I mean it is how I feel but if you aren’t ready to say it back to me yet then I completely understand. In fact can we just forget I said anything at all?”  
Fitz gave Jemma a panicked look.

“No! No that’s not what I meant. I just wasn’t…I didn’t.” He stopped talking for a moment and took a deep breath to steady himself. Jemma had seen him do this a lot before, it was one of his coping mechanisms for his brain damage.

“Of course I love you to, I mean how could I not?” he said finally. “You just caught me by surprise. I always thought that I was going to be the first to say it.”  
For a moment Jemma thought about what he had said and the implications of it. She found herself tearing through a long line of different emotions, happiness, sadness, guilt, anger, confusion before finally settling on irritated but calm.

“Leo Fitz, are you trying to say that you believe I am not as invested in this relationship as you are?” she said putting her hands on her hips, “Do you believe that I do not love you as much as you love me?”

Fitz gave Jemma a look that suggested he regretted speaking. He opened his mouth uselessly a couple of times before finally speaking.  
“Honestly, yes I did think that but I wasn’t upset about it, I just kind of thought that I was ahead of you.”

Jemma threw her best death stare at him, he was not making this better for himself. She could see him becoming more panicked.  
“I don’t mean ahead of you like a competition,” he stammered quickly, “I just meant that my feelings started to surpass friendship sooner than yours did and because of that I had a lot longer to get emotionally attached. I mean when I told you how I felt when we were at the bottom of the ocean the idea hadn’t even occurred to you. This is so much newer for you I thought it was going to take you longer to feel that way.”

Jemma softened a little sensing the insecurity in his words and realised that in truth he did have a right to feel insecure. He had made all the first moves, declaring his feelings, asking her on a date, initiating there first kiss, suggesting they cross the event horizon. Jemma knew what she was feeling was real and she felt just as much as he did but she had not really offered a lot to prove that, especially after everything that happened with Will on Maveth.

“Fitz I am so sorry,” she said taking his hands into hers, “I didn’t know that you felt this was so one way. I promise you that it’s not like that at all. Yes when you first told me how you felt it was a bit of a shock to me. I’ve thought about it a lot and tried to figure out why that was. My theory is, when we met it was at a time of huge change in our lives. We had just started with shield and we were starting this new, great big adventure. Neither of us had a relationship in mind. And as the years at the academy went by we started to rely on each other so much, like an old married couple would. So my theory is we skipped the exciting part of starting a relationship and just became so comfortable with each other. I think deep down I always loved you but I was so used to being around you that didn’t realise what kind of love it was. Thankfully you were clever enough to figure it out.”

“Really?” he said quietly.

“Yes. Half the reason I went to work undercover at Hydra for a while was to get some distance and figure out exactly what I felt. For the record being away from you for so long was absolute hell. But when I came back you were so resentful of me I thought that maybe you didn’t feel the same way for me anymore so I decided to just focus on trying to repair our friendship, but anyway you know the rest.”

Fitz smiled at her, “Sorry I underestimated you.” He pulled her into another tight embrace and muttered something Jemma didn’t quite catch about wasted years. “Anyway,” he said when he finally released her, “We have a psychotic inhuman who has just broken free running around our base and we probably ought to do something about that.”

“Of course,” Jemma said snapping back to reality. 

As they walked out of the med bay they felt a tremor surge through the base.  
“Daisy!” they said together.


End file.
